Wireless local area networks (WLANs), such as those based on the IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g standards, are becoming ubiquitous in business, government and small office/home office (SOHO) settings because of the freedom afforded by and the decreasing costs of the underlying technology.
Before discussing the 802.1x access point configuration in detail, it is helpful to review some basics of WLANs in general. Unlike their wired LAN counterparts, WLANs provide for communication among network elements through wireless transmissions (e.g., radio transmissions), as opposed to wired, physical connections. Unfortunately, implementing an 802.1x solution for a WLAN is not an easy task. For example, the required network infrastructure is complex (potentially involving multiple authentication servers for use in cases of equipment failures) and expensive.
Installing an AP to create a new WLAN or even within an existing WLAN can be a time consuming process, especially for an unsophisticated user. Usually, the user must step though several screens of a graphical user interface in order to set various security and/or authentication parameters. Consequently, deployment of 802.1x compliant WLANs has not yet become widespread at an enterprise level and is virtually nonexistent at a SOHO level.